Former
American Idol contestant
Clay Aiken hopes he won’t be runner-up in his next competition. Aiken, 35, is
setting aside his singing career to run for Congress in his home state of North Carolina.

The singer, a Democrat, declared his candidacy yesterday in a U.S. House district that is
represented by a Republican. He will seek to unseat second-term Rep.
Renee Ellmers in November but first must win the Democratic primary.

In a video announcing his candidacy, Aiken emphasized his upbringing by a single mom and his
experience as a special-education teacher.

“So much of who I am was shaped in those early years, and it’s part of why I decided to run for
Congress,” said Aiken, who has released four albums and starred on Broadway since he competed on
the second season of
American Idol in 2003 and placed second. “I’m not a politician. I don’t ever want to be
one, but I do want to help bring back — at least to my corner of North Carolina — the idea someone
can go to Washington to represent all the people, whether they voted for you or not.”